Our multi-million-pound flagship development at Points Cross in Leeds has reached a significant milestone following the visit of the Mayor of the West Yorkshire Combined Authority, Tracy Brabin.

On a brisk winters day, the West Yorkshire Mayor joined guests from United Living Group, including Chair and Chief Executive, Neil Armstrong, The Guinness Partnership, West Yorkshire Combined Authority, Leeds City Council, Homes England, and other partners to see the progress of the building work and to hear from those working on the project.

Mayor Brabin, Steve McManaman, Project Director, Neil Braithwaite, Chair of the Board of The Guinness Partnership, and Councillor Helen Hayden, Executive Member for Infrastructure and Climate at Leeds City Council gave enthused speeches about the project and how the collaborative approach by all parties will make it such a success.

Colin Kearney, Community Development Manager, also spoke passionately about how the Points Cross development will bring skills training and apprenticeships to young people across the city, with students at Leeds College of Building, Leeds City College, Ruth Gorse Academy, and the University Technical College all benefitting from being adjacent to the scheme.

The Points Cross scheme is the first of its kind in West Yorkshire, funded by the government's Brownfield Housing Fund, a programme designed to build more homes by unlocking and redeveloping brownfield land.

The project will see United Living New Homes deliver 311 residential apartments (24 townhouses & 287 apartments, which will be 100% affordable (shared ownership and affordable rent), providing much needed affordable homes for people in Leeds. The scheme forms part of a major regeneration programme of the South Bank area of Leeds, which will provide over 8,000 new homes, with 928 new homes at Points Cross.

Neil Armstrong, Chair and Chief Executive, United Living Group said: 'We are delighted to be working with The Guinness Partnership to create much needed affordable homes in this area of Leeds. Our goal is to create thriving communities where people feel safe and are proud to live.

'Working closely with Leeds City College, The Leeds College of Building and The Ruth Gorse Academy, we have provided educational and careers workshops for a wide range of learners, ranging from construction to catering, and we are excited to see the growth and further benefits to these young people as the project develops'.

Tracy Brabin, Mayor of West Yorkshire and Chair of the West Yorkshire Combined Authority said: 'Schemes like this one are absolutely vital to address the housing shortage across West Yorkshire and deliver affordable, sustainable and well-connected housing options that meet the needs of all of our communities. Everyone deserves a good, secure home and we will continue to deliver on our pledge to develop brownfield land across the region, helping to regenerate areas like Holbeck and shaping an economy that works for all.

'Not only will the Points Cross scheme provide high-quality homes, but the project also offers students across the region the opportunity to gain skilled apprenticeships and support their progress into good job opportunities in engineering and construction. The pandemic has hit our young people especially hard, so we are really proud to be funding this project in partnership with Homes England and creating vital opportunities for students.'

Neil Braithwaite, Chair of the Board of The Guinness Partnership, said: 'We are delighted to have welcomed Mayor Brabin to Points Cross today. The event marks an important milestone in the regeneration of the Leeds South Bank and Innovation District, and provides more new affordable homes in Leeds.

'We are working with our construction partners United Living and our wider project team, to create great homes where people are proud to live, in a vibrant new neighbourhood.'

Housing Minister Rt Hon Christopher Pincher MP, said: 'I am delighted to see the Points Cross scheme underway with a contribution of GBP2.76 million from our GBP66.8 million Brownfield fund. We are very pleased to be supporting Leeds and West Yorkshire to enable the delivery of homes which will also boost economic growth and job creation locally.

'This is part of our national strategy to build 300,000 homes a year by the mid-2020s, making the best use of brownfield and urban centre land whilst continuing to protect the Green Belt.'

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